Exhibition text

We are pleased to announce the first solo exhibition of the British artist David Thorpe in Germany. His works have recently been seen in the group shows “Drawing Now” at MoMA Queens, New York and “futureland” at Abteibergmuseum Mönchengladbach.

David Thorpe is well-known for his intricate relief- like collages, which formerly were made out of cut-out paper, but have now evolved to include materials that are inherent to the works’ themes such as bark, pressed plants and flowers, leather, chains, fabric, wire, glass and wool. Their delicacy is only discernable from a close proximity. The collages suggest a narration of romantic landscapes and futuristic buildings, of a world where everything is possible, where the past and future exist at the same time.David Thorpe compares his work as an artist in his studio with the duty of a king in a kingdom which is constantly afflicted by warfare. The exhibition is the battlefield and the outside world the uncontrollable enemy. The title of the exhibition, “The Colonists” refers to the construction of a self-made kingdom, to the process of conquering one’s own poise and conviction. The collages and objects, that have been developed especially for the exhibition symbolize utopia, a vision that must be defended. They produce an ambivalent atmosphere, which evokes physical and psychological paranoia on the one hand, and a vision of liberty on the other. The screens “The Protecting Army” function as a kind of guardian. The besieged feeling of these structural walls, reminiscent of gothic tracery, builds up protective, almost aggressive barriers against an attack on an intellectual vision. Their labyrinthine installation makes physical and psychological access difficult, but leads to new points of view. Some of the collages refer to the objects in their shape and material, and the objects seem to hint at the architectural elements within the collages. The borders are transparent. The collages and the structured screens shift continually between two- and three- dimensionality, between macro and micro.